


Let it Snow

by RainbowShimmer



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, obligatory frozen references, pro cisco being allowed to grieve, probably anti barry, shoot me, written before 3x09 aired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:52:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowShimmer/pseuds/RainbowShimmer
Summary: Caitlin knew Christmas was going to be hard for Cisco this year. So maybe she's willing to use her powers just this once, if only to make him smile.





	

Caitlin knew tonight wasn’t going to be the best. There were really only two options: hostility and awkwardness. Cisco had opted for the latter, much to the relief of H.R. and the West family.

On the outside, he appeared mostly calm, albeit slightly forlorn. But on the inside, Caitlin knew he was stewing. In what emotions though, she wasn’t sure. He’d sat through dinner, sat through Barry talking about his parents, even sat through H.R’s spiel on the S.T.A.R. Labs museum project. But the night was wearing on him. The holidays were wearing on him.

It didn’t take long for him to wander away from the group after dinner. When everyone migrated to the kitchen for dessert, Cisco simply slipped to the side as the room cleared out.

Caitlin hesitated, but decided to give him a moment, ultimately following the group into the kitchen. Even after the whole thing with the aliens and the time travel, Cisco still couldn’t be around Barry for too long, so she understood his hanging back. She piled her plate high will a little taste of every sweet she could get her hands on and tried to enjoy the company of her friends, though she knew part of herself lingered with Cisco.

Iris must have noticed her wavering attention, because after a few minutes she pushed a plate with a couple of brownies into Caitlin’s hands and nodded in the direction of the living room. Caitlin smiled, grateful, then slipped out to be with her best friend.

“Iris made those brownies you like,” she said, coming up to stand beside him at the window.

Cisco didn’t move, barely even acknowledged she was there aside from a quick glance her way before fixing his eyes on the window again. 

Caitlin sighed and set the plate aside. “How’s your mom? The first ye-”

“Is always the hardest. Yea, I know Cait.” There was a kind of venom in his voice that made her flinch back, if only just by a millimeter. Defensive more than aggressive, like a lion with a thorn in its paw. 

She took a breath and wrapped her arms around herself. Her heart felt like it sat in the pit of her stomach. Cisco, without his light airiness was a sad sight. But he deserved this; deserved time to grieve. She started to duck away.

“I- Cait, wait.” He turned to her, eyes slightly panicked. “I-I didn’t…”

“It’s ok.” She sighed and let herself relax. She understood the wall; the automatic defences. She’d been there once too. Slowly, if as not to startle him, she eased her way back into his space and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, like he’d done for her so many times before. “I understand. It’s hard.”

Cisco squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. “Why does it have to be like this? Why does it have to be hard? It shouldn’t hurt like this, but it does...”

“He was your brother, Cisco. He was family.”

“I just…”

“Your feelings are yours, and yours alone. It’s ok to grieve.”

Caitlin didn’t miss the way his fists balled at his sides. She didn’t miss the watery gloss that pooled in his eyes. She didn’t miss the heavy knit of his brow, or the near invisible shudder that ran up him. And she didn’t miss the small sob that muffled against her shoulder as she pulled him into the tightest hug she could manage.

If she could somehow take away this pain from him, she would. In a heartbeat. He didn’t deserve this, any of it. But like she was stuck with her powers, Cisco was stuck with the death of his brother. An unintentional product of Barry’s timeline fuckery. And as they’d learned, the more Barry ‘fixed,’ the more Barry ‘broke.’ So there was no running back for this, no way to undo it. They were just supposed to accept it and move on. But death, as Caitlin knew, wasn’t something so easy to swallow. There was no way to just ‘move on.’ Healing took time; Cisco needed time. And time...well, time was a luxury those around Barry had to fight for.

She kept her eyes trained on the street outside the window, watching the few cars roll by in the rainy darkness. Her hands roamed his back, rubbing soothing circles here and there where she could. Eventually, Cisco’s arms rose to wrap around her as his shaking died down. The soft sobs turned in little more than tiny broken breaths. Caitlin let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

“I just...miss him, Cait. I really do,” came the broken whisper in her ear.

“I know.” She ran her fingers through his loose curls, letting him talk, admiring the soft feel of his hair threading through her hands.

“Ma’s in a frenzy.” Cisco muttered. “She doesn’t know what to do. Sh-she keeps trying to keep herself busy, but it’s not...it’s not gonna work. She’s gonna break eventually. And it’s gonna be bad.”

“Are you going over there for Christmas Eve?”

“Yea, and mass at midnight. Usually we’d come home after that, and Dante...”

Caitlin felt Cisco stiffen. She pulled him a bit tighter, trying to recall anything that could help from all those grief classes she’d had after Ronnie’s death. Then, an idea hit. “What’s something you used to do” she asked. “Just you and Dante?”

There was a beat of silence before Cisco answered. “Snowmen. We built...snowmen. When we were little, whenever it snowed.”

A slow smile spread across Caitlin’s lips as she peeled away from Cisco and walked over to the window.

He watched her with a mixture of hurt and confusion on his face. “Cait, please don’t open that. It’s cold out. I know it doesn’t bother you, but it bothers me.”

One cuff came off, and then the other. Her smile grew as she set them near the brownies and pushed open the window just a crack.

“Caaaiiit….please.”

A cool rush channeled from her core through her hand, thin layers of mist pouring from the tips of her fingers in waves. If she focused enough she could do this. There was enough moisture outside from the rain. All she had to do was...chill it. She just had to chill it.

Caitlin didn’t catch Cisco’s reaction as the first raindrop turned to snow. She didn’t catch it for the second, third, or fourth either. She was aware that he moved through, his heat signature coming closer to her, just in reach to where she could feel the warmth practically radiating off him. It was nice, intoxicating; almost to a point where she wanted to have it to herself. But she pushed down Killer Frost, at least for tonight. Because right now, all that mattered was…

She turned to Cisco, watching the way his eyes seemed to sparkle with childlike joy. That. That was what mattered. His light, his smile. Caitlin knew, that was something she’d always fight for. Cisco always deserved to smile.

“So...” she asked after a few minutes of quiet snowfall. “Do you wanna build a snowman?”

The smile she received in response let her know that everything was going to be alright, at least for tonight.


End file.
